Why Mayawati is the Indispensable Cog in the Wheel of Opposition Chariot
The uncertainty—both political and otherwise—had been hanging about in the air for almost three week. The recalcitrant south-west monsoons, as usual, were a tad late in crossing the Vindhyas. Delhi was under the spell of an oppressive humidity when 60-odd Lok Sabha MPs of the united Left Front withdrew support from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government 10 years back, in July 2008.
A senior Congress manager, in-charge of mustering numbers for Manmohan Singh government, got a call from a journalist a couple of days ahead of the trust vote to enquire if Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) with its 3 MPs were firmly with the UPA.
